Each end of a railway vehicle typically includes two wheel and axle assemblies journalled for rotation in bearings between a pair of laterally spaced side frame members. One end of each axle assembly is rotatably carried by a journal box mounted on one of the side frames. A laterally elongated bolster also extends between and is supported by the side frames. A body of the railway vehicle is supported on the bolster. Wheels are fit onto axles of each assembly so as to allow the railway vehicle to ride over rails or tracks between locations. Toward the inner sides thereof, each wheel is provided with a radial flange which operably engages one side of the respective rail or track to inhibit excessive lateral displacement of the trucks thus keeping the trucks and railway vehicle on the rails or tracks.
Rails and railbed conditions can be compromised due to weather, temperature changes and a myriad of other factors. Other serious hazards in railroad operations today involve wheel and bearing failures. When these failures occur and/or are encountered, the wheel and side frame member adjacent to the affected parts can drop off its rail toward the outside of the roadbed, often causing derailment not only of the railway vehicle in distress but also the railway vehicles coupled thereto and which follow. In many cases of derailments due to a broken rail or wheel/bearing failure, the rail and side frame components on the side opposite from the derailed wheel remain stable but drop off toward the inside of rail and toward the roadbed.
The damages resulting from a derailment can involve the train itself as well as the surrounding areas. Moreover, the extent of the damages can vary widely as a result of train behavior following a train derailment. The lateral spacing between the rails over which the railway vehicle travels is relatively narrow. In derailments in which the railway vehicle completely departs from the rails, and because of its momentum together with the pushing action of any coupled vehicles which follow, the railway vehicle can continue along its general path of travel and overturn upon itself causing significant damage to the surrounding area. Depending upon the commodity being transported in the railway vehicle, railway vehicle derailments can be detrimentally harmful to the surrounding environment.
As a result of physical constraints, as well as for cost and drainage purposes, many railbeds over which railway vehicles travel are relatively narrow and raised above the surrounding ground level with a sloping structure of rock ballast. This configuration places any derailed vehicle at a further risk of overturning upon itself as it leaves contact with the rails. In derailments in which the railway vehicle remains in close proximity to the rails, however, the railway vehicle often remains upright and the mishap frequently results in minimal damage.
In view of the above, and in accordance with the present invention disclosure, there is provided a cost effective system for inhibiting total derailment of the railway vehicle from the rails over which the railway vehicle is traveling.